For centuries you had your place.
After these days and nights of heavy rain you passed away.
You stood there.
On your forest plateau, high up in the mountain.
For centuries you had your place.
In the most beautiful location with a view into the valley.
The trees around you kept their distance and let you have your place.
All these years you defied the nasty weather. Snow and rain could not harm you.
And now. After these days and nights of heavy rain, which I only know from your region.
You fell. After these days and nights you passed away.
I visited this centuries-old tree several times to document its finiteness.
The first time I passed it, I was overwhelmed by its size and beauty. I calmly tried to capture the peace and beauty of this place.
Days and nights of heavy rain preceded when I visited the tree again after exactly one year. Now it had just fallen. It had fallen the whole length onto the forest plateau. The thick branches broke and the tree lay there in peace. Only the leaves, which were still in full autumn colour, danced softly in the wind. When I passed the place again six months later to see what had become of the tree during the cold winter, it was still lying in place.
This work is an attempt to document this unbelievable age, which outlasts us humans by several generations. Even what seems to be eternal will one day come to an end.
Switzerland 2019 - 2021.